DATE: 03/18/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2026-93
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
UPDATE TO THE WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION UNIFORM MITIGATION
FEE PROGRAM
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve an amendment to the City’s Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) Ordinance and adopt a resolution implementing the initial Construction Cost Index (CCI) adjustment to the TUMF schedule.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Introduce, by title only, and waive full reading of consideration of Ordinance No. 3427, the first reading of an ordinance, approving an amendment to Chapter 16.21 of the Corona Municipal Code to update the Western Riverside County Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) program.
b. Approve Resolution 2026-013, implementing the initial automatic CCI adjustment and establishing the revised TUMF schedule effective July 1, 2026.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City of Corona is a Member Jurisdiction of the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG), a joint powers agency comprised of the County of Riverside and 18 cities located in Western Riverside County. Acting in concert, in 2002-2003 the WRCOG Member Jurisdictions developed a plan whereby the shortfall in funds needed to enlarge the capacity of the Regional System of Highways and Arterials due to new development in Western Riverside County could be made up in part by a Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) on future residential, commercial and industrial development. As a Member Jurisdiction of WRCOG and as a TUMF Participating Jurisdiction, the City participated in the preparation of a certain “Western Riverside County Transportation Uniform Fee Nexus Study,” in 2002 later adopted by the WRCOG Executive Committee. Based on the 2002 Nexus Study, the City adopted and implemented an ordinance authorizing the City’s participation in a TUMF Program.
In December 2025, the WRCOG Executive Committee approved the implementation of annual automatic CCI adjustments tied to national construction cost indices, capped at five percent annually. This approach helps maintain the purchasing power of TUMF revenues and promotes predictability and fairness. The proposed 2026 ordinance amendment incorporates this automatic adjustment mechanism directly into CMC Chapter 16.21. The companion resolution implements the initial adjustment beginning July 1, 2026, consistent with the TUMF Administrative Plan.
ANALYSIS:
Ordinance 3427 provides the legal basis for implementing automatic annual CCI adjustments to the TUMF schedule. Whereas Resolution 2026-013 establishes the updated TUMF schedule associated with development.
Consistent with the Mitigation Fee Act and the findings of the 2024 Nexus Study, the ordinance and resolution does the following:
1. Identifies the purpose of the revised fees.
2. Identifies the use to which the revised fees are to be allocated, including identification of any facilities to be financed.
3. Determines the reasonable relationship between the fee’s use and the type of development project on which the fee is imposed.
4. Determines the reasonable relationship between the need for the public facilities and the type of development project upon which the fees are imposed.
5. Determines the relationship between the amount of the fees and the cost of the public facilities or portion, or the public facility attributable to the development on which the fees are imposed.
The automatic annual adjustment mechanism ensures ongoing alignment with construction cost trends while maintaining the existing nexus, land use assumptions, and methodology governing the TUMF Program. Table 1 shows the current and proposed TUMF Schedule. The proposed TUMF schedule will be adopted by Resolution 2026-013.
Table 1
Current and Proposed TUMF Schedule
Land Use Per Unit (DU)/
Square Feet (SF)
Current
TUMF
Proposed
TUMF (2026)
Single Family Residential
1,800 SF or less DU $12,380 $12,705
1,801 to 2,300 SF DU $13,927 $14,292
2,301 to 2,700 SF DU $15,476 $15,881
2,701 SF & Greater DU $19,344 $19,851
Multiple Family Residential DU $7,816 $8,021
Industrial SF $2.33 $2.39
Retail Commercial SF $7.72 $7.92
Service Commercial SF $4.89 $5.02
Class A and B Office SF $2.45 $2.51
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with the recommended actions as the TUMF is paid directly to WRCOG by project proponents associated with development in the City.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The public hearing on the adoption of the TUMF schedule was advertised in the Sentinel Weekly on March 6, 2026, and March 15, 2026.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This Ordinance and Resolution are exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The Ordinance and Resolution simply updates the Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee program, which merely provides funding for improvements to the regional system of highways and arterials in Western Riverside County and there is no possibility that this action will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no further environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: CHRIS HORN, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: BRETT CHANNING, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Ordinance No. 3427
2. Exhibit 2 – Resolution No. 2026-013